How to lock WhatsApp on a Mac
Short answer: WhatsApp for Mac has started rolling out its own lock features, but they protect specific chats inside WhatsApp — not the app as a whole, and nothing else on your Mac. Here's what that covers and where it stops.
What WhatsApp's own lock already does
WhatsApp has added Locked Chats and a screen-lock option to its Mac app, letting you hide individual conversations behind Touch ID or a password. It's a genuinely useful feature — if all you need is to hide a couple of sensitive chats, it may be enough on its own.
Where it stops
Locked Chats has to be turned on per conversation — anything you didn't explicitly lock is still one click away. It also only protects WhatsApp itself; the moment someone closes WhatsApp and opens Mail, Photos, or Notes instead, none of that is covered by anything WhatsApp ships. And if you forget to lock a new chat as it comes in, there's no second layer behind it.
What doesn't work either
The general workarounds people try for other apps don't help here either: a second user account means logging out just to hand someone the Mac; FileVault only protects the disk while it's powered off, not while you're logged in; and Screen Time is built for managing a child's account, not shielding one app on your own Mac.
What actually works
Shoo! locks the entire WhatsApp process, not individual chats — so there's no conversation to forget to lock, and no gap for anything you didn't think to protect. It reopens only after Touch ID, Apple Watch, or a private backup password succeeds, and the same method works the same way across every other app on your Mac.
Try it free for 7 days — full functionality, no credit card, $17.99 once if you keep it.
Frequently asked
Is WhatsApp's built-in chat lock enough?
It depends on your use case. If you only need to hide a couple of specific conversations, it can be enough on its own. If you want the entire app closed off — including chats you haven't gotten around to locking individually — you need something that locks the whole app, like Shoo!.
Can Shoo! lock WhatsApp entirely, not just individual chats?
Yes — Shoo! ends WhatsApp's process when you lock it, so the whole app is closed off at once rather than hiding chat-by-chat.
Do I need both WhatsApp's lock and Shoo!?
They solve different problems. WhatsApp's own lock hides specific chats from someone who has WhatsApp open. Shoo! stops WhatsApp from opening at all without Touch ID, which also covers every chat you didn't think to lock individually. Some people use both.
Can I open WhatsApp with Touch ID after locking it with Shoo!?
Yes. Once WhatsApp is locked it only opens after Touch ID succeeds. If your Mac has no Touch ID, you can confirm with Apple Watch (double-press the side button) or a private backup password that is separate from your Mac login password.
Is WhatsApp still protected if I switch desktops or come back to it later?
Yes. Shoo! does not draw an overlay or check only at launch. It ends the WhatsApp process when locked, so switching Spaces or returning to the app later can't show what was on screen. It reopens only after you verify.